The Godfather (1972)

Intro.

Never has a film had such a powerful opening line as The Godfather.  It opens on a black empty screen and then you hear a voice heavy with a Southern Italian accent and a strong conviction: "I believe in America."  As the speaker continues, we begin to see his face and eventually more light brings into focus the rest of the room.  His name is Bonasera, and he has come to the one man who can give him justice that the government has denied him - Don Vito Corleone.  Right from that first moment, you know this is going to be a powerful movie.

I was fortunate enough to see The Godfather in a theater this past weekend, and one of my friends made an interesting comment - it was a very good movie, he said, but it was really predictable.  As I thought about the time it was released, The Godfather could really be called the first modern gangster movie.  So many films and other media outlets have borrowed, stolen or parodied it.  It has become a part of our essential culture, whether we like it or not.  How many times have we heard "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse" or "he's sleeping with the fishes"?  It became the icon of the mafia and an example of outstanding film making.

Overview
At a length of about three hours, The Godfather has many, many plot points that I won't be able to cover in a summary.  Basically the film follows the lives of the Corleone family, one of the Five Families in the New York City mafia of the late 1940s.  The don, Vito (Marlon Brando) is the thoughtful, strong, traditional father.  Santino, called Sonny (James Caan), is the headstrong, womanizing, fiery-tempered eldest son; lawyer Tom Hagan (Robert Duvall) is the level-headed orphan taken in and raised as a son by the Corleones; Fredo (John Cazale) is the sheepish, clumsy, easy-going middle son; Michael (Al Pacino) is the favorite youngest son - a reserved outsider who never joined the family business.  The film opens with their sister Connie's (Talia Shire) wedding.  No Sicilian can resist a favor asked of him on his daughter's wedding day, so everyone comes to see Don Corleone.  It sets up the tone of the film as Michael explains to his girlfriend Kay how his family works through violence and intimidation.  "That's my family Kay," he says, "it's not me."  That will eventually start to change though, as a big drug supplier comes to the city looking for support from the Five Families.  When Vito refuses, an attempt is made on his life.  An all out war begins and escalates when Michael steps out of his civilian status in order to get justice for his father's shooting.  He hides out in Italy, but the violence even catches up with him there.  A few deaths and plot twists later, and Michael returns home to take over as the new Don.  A huge blood-bath finale brings to a close one of the most gripping films of all time.   

Film History & Highlights
Over the years, I've read a lot about The Godfather.  The film itself has become so steeped in myth there are all kinds of stories.  First, the horse's head in the bed.  The entire story begins with Vito's godson Johnny (Al Martino) coming to the wedding.  He's a famous crooner down on his luck, and asks his godfather to help him get a part in a new film in Hollywood.  He says the part is written for him - he can just be himself and it would get him back on top.  Vito sends Tom to talk to the famous director.  The director says he hates Johnny and refuses to give him the part because it will make him a star.  The next morning, the director awakens with blood all over his silk sheets and pulls back the blanket to discover the bloodied severed head of his prized stallion.  The screaming alone sends chills through the audience.  It's worse still when you read afterward that it was a real horse's head from a butcher shop in New Jersey.  But what I find most interesting is that the story is itself a myth based on the great comeback of Frank Sinatra.  In 1952, Sinatra faced a horrible low point in his career.  Feared that he was a has-been crooner, he heard about the part of Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity.  The role was perfect - he wouldn't even need to act.  But he couldn't get the role.  Now with his many friends who were in the mafia, there were all kinds of rumors, but according to an interview with Ava Gardner, the real secret was that Frank agreed to do the picture for free.  That's what did it - no decapitated horse.  Audiences watching The Godfather in 1972 would probably have remembered Sinatra's comeback Oscar win, and adding that kind of American legend to a film already rich with the myths of the Italian mafia's power only heightens the film's overall stunning effect.      

The Godfather is the perfect capstone for the already amazing career of Marlon Brando.  He is brilliant in his subtle performance of Vito.  He is real, he is a man of the people, he is above all, a sympathetic hero.  You almost forget that he can have someone killed with the nod of his head.  He's a family man and always spends time with his children and grandchildren.  The film also helped make the other actors into stars - who knew at the time that young Al Pacino would rise to such iconic status?  The Godfather was only his third film!  I am always especially impressed with James Caan, who captures the hot-headed temperament of Sonny perfectly.  The supporting cast is equally wonderful (I mean, who can not love Clemenza with his line "Leave the gun; take the cannoli"?).       

I do have to admit that the film is long and feels long in some parts.  Really, it is trying to encapsulate the long, complex story of Mario's Puzo's book, and some first-time viewers may not understand all that happens.  Trust me, watch a second or even third time and you will enjoy it more each time.  The beauty of Coppola's style is that the characters and their conversations are all so realistic.  They aren't stylized, they aren't gangsters - they are family members with a fierce loyalty to one another.  Family is what the film is really about - family loyalty and the dark side of the American dream.  There is much more I could say and if you'd like to discuss it further, feel free to leave comments.

Review and Recommendation

Sometimes as a descendant of Italian immigrants, I feel ashamed to enjoy this film.  The Godfather served to fuel the negative stereotypes that groups like the Sons of Italy have fought against for generations.  But I feel that some of the underlying themes of the film are what really draw me into it and make it something Italian-Americans can value.  Devotion and love of family are central to the film's core.  Even with Santino's poor morals when it comes to adultery and murder, he will not sit still one moment when it comes to the abuse of his sister by her husband.  Vito's last talk with Michael really say a lot about immigrants the world over - "I never wanted this for you," he explains.  "I wanted you to be the one holding all the strings someday."  He wanted Michael to go farther, to live an honest, important life.  I think this depth and humanity, above all else, is what makes this film a standout from all other traditional gangster films.  Undoubtedly, The Godfather is one of the most influential films of all time across genres.  If you want to see how all our mafia cliches really started, watch this film.  You will see magnificent acting, directing, cinematography - truly every aspect is great.  As I said, it runs long and a bit slow at times, but the many breathtaking, edge of your seat scenes and haunting end sequence will show you why this film is a true classic.